Nordplus Project - Finnish conference week 29/09-04/10/2024

Here are some highlights of the Finnish conference week in Tampere by the project manager Maarit Kostamo and the CFO of the conference, Antti Kilpijärvi, from 29th September to 4th October 2024.

Antti Kilpijärvi:

Monday was the first full day of the conference. The day started at TYK by gathering to a classroom. We got an introduction of the Nordplus program, and the visiting students were given a tour of the school. After that we had some icebreaker activities planned by Finnish students. That way we got to know more about each other so working would be fun and easy.

At noon we had a break and ate lunch at the school cafeteria. After lunch a bus took us to the waste management facility of Tarastenjärvi. We learned about what happens to our waste after we throw it out there. The best part of the visit was when we were able to see the claw that mixes the waste and lifts it to the section where it gets burned.
Our school day ended after getting back to school from Tarastenjärvi.

On the second day of the conference we started the day by visiting Nextiili. It's a textile waste sorting facility and second-hand shop for used clothes. After the visit we came back to city centre and visited a company called Sustinare which mends clothes, shoes and upcycles used denim to new design clothes.

We headed back to school for lunch. In the afternoon we toured the different second-hand shops and flea markets of Tampere.

In the Wednesday morning we all went to the repair workshop at the vocational centre in Tredu where we first listened to the lecture of a textile and fashion circular economy expert Anna-Mari Kuukkula.

Fun fact: The sustainable amount of clothes you can buy in a year is seven.

Later on we practiced mending old and torn clothes we brought with us. During the whole project we had the task of taking pictures and videos, which were necessary for presentations later on in the project.

After the workshop we returned to TYK for lunch. Next off we had a group activity where we worked on presentations on raising awareness about textile waste and finding solutions to reduce it.

In the evening we went to socialize in Kaupinojan sauna where we had the chance to go to the sauna and dip in the lake. We played different games and got to know each other better.

Thurday's objective was to sum up what we had learned during the week. We had to come up with different ideas of how to reduce textile waste in Tampere. We had to use the pictures and videos we had taken during the week and use an imaginary budget of 10 000 euros. We pitched our ideas to our teachers who pretended to be city officials.

After lunch we made different commercials for the future Nordplus projects.

Last day of the conference was dedicated to a trip to the capital city Helsinki. We visited the Museum of Finnish Architecture that had an exhibition FIX: Care and Repair.

Maarit Kostamo:

Day 1, Sunday 29th September

The Danes and Estonians arrive at Tampere railway station.

Day 2, Monday 30th September

9.30-12.00: Hello and welcome

Welcome speech

Guided tour of our school by students

Ice breaker activities

12.00-12.45 lunch in the school cafeteria

12.45-13.45: presentation of homework in smaller groups;

Shoot a video about how your school treats waste. Then tell us about how your city treats waste. Finally, present an analysis where you tell us three ways in which waste disposal can be improved in your school or in your city. Don’t be afraid of cultural differences! We can guarantee you there will be some!

Finnish students' homework video.

Estonian students' homework video.

Danish students' homework video.

14.00 bus leaves for waste management company

14.00-16.00: visit waste disposal plant in Pirkanmaa

16.00 Bus leaves from the waste management company towards TYK

Day 3, Tuesday 1st October

9.30 meeting at school

10.00 company visit: Nextiili (Lielahti)

11.00 Bus leaves from Lielahti to Sokos

11.30 Company visit Sustinare (Sokos)

12.30-13.15 lunch

13.15-15.00 start work on the conference program: go and visit at least 5 flee markets/second hand shops in Tampere and buy/take pictures of items you could buy

- Evening program: evening get-together at a student's place

Day 4, Wednesday 2nd October

8.45 meeting in Tredu, Sammonkatu 45

9.00 Workshop to mend/fix a torn piece of clothing in Tredu

The three pictures above are used with permission of : https://www.lyg.edu.ee/info/dokumendid/projektid/nordplus/

12.00 return to school for lunch

13.00 Work starts on documenting conference work at school

15.00 Finish and get ready for sauna: students: buy snacks and drinks for the evening and fetch your swimsuits and towels (if you want to go to sauna) from home

EVENING: 17.00-21.00: Kaupinojan sauna – activity evening – Finnish and other teachers: bring your personal food and drinks, swimsuits and towels!!